 Well, it's time to talk Donegal555 slash Donegal333. We're joined by one of the race organisers as we go to sunny Dubai to join Eric Kinneyman, Sean McFadden. How are you, Sean? Good to see you. Hi, Arsene. How's it going there? Good to see you. Good to hear from you. I'm doing not too bad in the snow here, Sean. We had the shorts and the t-shirts on last week, and we've got snow now today, so we have, but you've no problem with snow over there by the looks of things? No problem at the moment now. The sun is shining and it's getting hotter day by day, but no, it's nice. It's very bearable at the moment, but I heard Ireland was beautiful last week, and now there's going to be snow this week, so I suppose that's just good old Irish weather. It's just unpredictable. Yeah, that's it. But anyway, let's focus on the 555. It's on the 5th of August. A change of date for you, Sean, as you're going a wee bit later. It was traditionally June, of course, but already the event is sold out. And there's been a lot of talk and a lot of excitement about it. And I suppose the big change is the 333 has now been incorporated. And tell us about it. Yes, Arsene. We sat down after the 555 last year, myself and Eugene and the team, and we said we'd just change the date and change the whole spice it up a bit. And we changed the date, and we changed it for different reasons, and it's kind of worked out really, really well. And we want to incorporate another discipline into the race. And we thought about it for years, and we didn't do it, but then we thought we'd kind of have to do it with other racers coming on board. And there's loads of racers coming on, and they've got smaller events, so we thought we'd try and come up with one. And believe it or not, I suppose I'm going to have to put it out there. And I think we've had a lot of hours, and a good competitor come up with the name of this. Colin Richardson come up with a 333. And actually when we talked about it and when we advertised that it just sold out lately in nearly three or four days, you know, we didn't want the 333 to swallow the 555, but it just really took over, you know, so yeah, so we kind of capped it that we'd only maybe take 20 to 30 333 competitors for the first year to see how it went. Because we really don't want it to swallow the 555, but it was a really, really, really successful idea. Well, what is the 333? What's the, apart from 222 kilometres, if my maths is correct, what's the course for the 333 going to be, Sean? Yeah, well, it's still part of the 555 course, but they're not doing the first section of downwind and a show, and so they're doing the second half of the 555, but the 333 still is very, very challenging. People think it's a little bit like it's only 350, 333 kilometres, but there's still nearly over 4,000 metres of climbing on it, you know. So the second half of this race is a lot of climbing on it, so it's still going to be very, very challenging for people, you know. Yeah, and is there any difference to the 555 this year? Is it the same Rogan's tough course that's always been there, Sean? Because there's always a small sort of alteration while the years go on. Is there going to be any this year? No, we're not going to try and change this. We've kept it as close as we can for people to set records and for people to target their time from the previous years. And I don't like changing stuff too much, you know, okay, if there's a road works on and we have to change maybe a kilometre or two kilometre. We try to stay as close as we can for, you know, because as I said, people set in targets and people set in times and people want to beat their own time from last year. And they want to, you know, so we're going to try, we are keeping the 555 as exactly as it was before, you know. Well, Lorraine Malarkey came and destroyed the Solar Women's Record last year. She done it in 21 hours. And you were talking her up before her arrival last year. Sean, is there anybody to talk up this year? Anybody to watch out for? Well, Lorraine, Lorraine is sitting on the fence. She's actually thinking about coming to do the 333 and trying to set a blossoming time in the 333. She hasn't signed up yet because, you know, with the change of date and with Lorraine here in Dubai, it's like she has to get time off school and different things to get. But there is a few that are sitting on the fence that are still challenging themselves for other races. So a couple of competitors like, you know, that have done the 333 women have done it before. So we've kept a couple of slots for them. But so it's, it's kind of exciting times. And we're hoping that the reasoning that they're doing at the minute is going to go really, really well and it's going to set them up then for the 555 or the 333, you know. Okay, so we'll wait to see what happens then in the next couple of months to see if there is any big names on the way. So what happens between now and race day, Sean? Because we're here now coming, but we're about to start April. So we are, and there's still several months to go before we had August time. So what's happening between now and then? Well, from now and then, like it just like we're very lucky using our rushing that we've sold out this year, like we've sold out. We've never sold out before. We've always had this number and a head that we wanted to get over 100 competitors on the road and at the minute we're well over 100. And even we do get a few droplets where I think, you know, really our goal at the start of the 555 when we started out, we don't need maybe like 30 competitors. And it was always a magic number to get over the 100. And now we are. So we're hoping like with a few droplets, we will still have over 100. So I just gave me and Eugene and Damien, the good one this year that's come on board to give us a hand with all the just the emails part of it and everything else Damien's come on board. So it gives us more time now to get everything set up in place where before we were holding on to maybe three weeks out and then trying to get everything in place. Well, now we've got a week, but a bigger window to go by. So it's going to give us more time to get things organized, you know, and just get the venue ready. And, and yeah, we're looking forward to seeing everybody in the ramp on the 5th of August, you know, and let's see if we can get some new new records on the 555 or let's let's see what they can do with the 333, you know, 333 is going to be fast. And it's going to be a very exciting risk between like two mountain teams and and solo competitors, you know, so like, do they start a wee bit later Sean than the five because the 555 boys are way they're way early on the Friday morning so they are as the 333 goes a wee bit later in the day or are they going off at the same time. No, no, it's what we're going to do. We're going to get the 555 solo man out the road and then we're going to be haven't actually decided what we're going to do it. So we're still working on that, but the 555 men will solo people will go first, and then we will, we will have the 333 men and women away then, you know, that's a cycling Ireland backed event as well. Cycling Ireland backed event this year and as everybody knows we couldn't go without cycling Ireland because just with the whole issue of insurance and stuff like that so we're delighted that Cycling Ireland come on board. I think now this is their third year with us so we couldn't do this event without them you know so it's incredible to have them on board and all our sponsors come on back on board this year to make this event possible again so you know it's a packed field like we've got this year we've got 40 solo competitors in the 555 we've got 25 solos in the 333 and we've got 12 teams in the 333 and we've got five unsupported solos in the 555 including one woman this year that's going unsupported so that's going to be a challenge for for that young lady that's going to take it on unsupported you know so and we bit down this year and the four man teams on the 555 because with including the 333 they've thought okay if they've gone on a four man team before they're going to take on the 333 so we've only 10 four man teams this year but listen we'll see how it goes you know it's a packed house it's a packed field and we're excited you know we're just we can't wait again you know it's like every year when the last person crosses the ramp you think oh that's a we've got a year to get it ready again but all sun that's around the corner and like you're only a couple of months out you know and the preparation has started and we're looking forward yeah listen we all look forward it is a very very good event the 7th edition of the 555 slash 333 is on the way in the month of August you enjoy the sun Sean let Eugene and Demian do all the work at home for you and you'll probably turn up in the air too before it don't rub it in please they give it a hard time as it is okay listen good to see you Sean thanks for joining us awesome thanks very much take care bye bye